Political history professor Allan Lichtman recently claimed, while appearing on CNN , that Trump will win reelection in 2020 unless Democrats move to impeach, per The Hill . Lichtman, who teaches at American University, has correctly predicted the last nine presidential elections, starting with Ronald Reagan in 1984 and including Trump’s upset win.
Lichtman believes that Trump will win again, “unless the Democrats grow a spine and do their Constitutional duty, and move into an impeachment inquiry,” he told CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin.
“It’s a false dichotomy to say Democrats have a choice between doing what is right and what is constitutional and what is politically right,” the politics buff added.
“Impeachment is also politically right.”
Lichtman claimed that Bill Clinton’s impeachment was the reason for Al Gore’s presidential defeat in 2000 to George W. Bush. Gore was Vice President to Clinton during the scandal.
“Let’s not forget, impeachment is not just a vote in the House,” Lichtman continued.
“It involves public hearings as part of the impeachment inquiry, and, what everyone forgets, a public trial in the Senate in which House prosecutors present evidence, present documents, make opening and closing statements.”
Trump has already long struggled under the cloud of the Mueller investigation. Though Mueller released his findings in mid-April, politicians are still debating its implications — especially after Mueller claimed on Wednesday that if his team had “had confidence” that Trump had not committed obstruction of justice, they “would have said so,” per The Inquisitr .
Professor @AllanLichtman has correctly predicted nine straight presidential elections.
He tells @BrookeBCNN that Trump will win again in 2020 “unless the Democrats grow a spine and do their Constitutional duty, and move into an impeachment inquiry.” https://t.co/hOa1Jlgsdo pic.twitter.com/zv4XAk0ayc
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) May 29, 2019
Lichtman believes that Trump is a weakened candidate, due to the triple threat of Republican losses in the midterm elections, a void of foreign policy wins, and Trump’s polarizing nature. The political history professor claims that adding impeachment — and having the public deal with the public nature of the proceedings — would be enough to tip the scales to a Democratic challenger.
As of now, the Democratic challenger looks to be former Vice President Joe Biden, as he resoundingly leads the polls. Behind him is Bernie Sanders, followed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg rounds out the top Democratic candidates, per Real Clear Politics .
Many Democratic voices have been pushing for impeachment, including freshmen superstars Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. However, House Majority Speaker Nancy Pelosi considers the move a political liability.
Despite Professor Lichtman’s predictions, Pelosi’s concerns do have some merit. After Clinton’s impeachment process, Republicans were brutally defeated in the 1998 midterms, a move seen by many as voters taking their frustrations out on the GOP.
However, Lichtman remains convinced that impeachment remains the Democratic Party’s best hope for retaking the White House, repeating his claims to fellow CNN anchor Chris Cillizza.